CHAPTER #17:

             The Curiosity.

“Princess! I need water.”

“Princess! I am hungry.”

“Princess! Turn on the lights.”

“Princess! I dropped my files.”

“Princess-”

“What?” Haejin snapped when Baekhyun called her for the nth time that day.

“My back is itching.” Her husband claimed with an innocent smile, but Haejin knew better than to be wavered by it. Baekhyun was anything, but innocent. He was doing it all for the sole reason of annoying her. For some unknown reason, Baekhyun had decided to be extremely playful after their small moment days ago; where she came to change his bandages. It was nice to have him smile so playfully, but not all of the times; especially not when he was irritating her on purpose.

“Then do it yourself. I was helping Sehun in bathing Vivi.” She growled and turned around on her heels, ready to leave her crazy husband behind.

That evil dog!

“Is that how you are going to treat a person who took a bullet for you?” The smug bastard didn’t even try to hide the mischievous tone in his voice which made Haejin’s blood boil. It was for the freaking fifth time that day. Baekhyun keeps on using that fact against her.

Bloody Prince!

“You are going to torture me with it for the rest of my life, aren’t you?” She asked with narrowed eyes and walked back towards him after letting out a defeated sigh.

“I am not planning to, but it seems like a nice idea.”

“You’re infuriating!” Haejin snapped and mindlessly reached for his . Her hands stopped in their tracks when she noticed what she was going to do and felt all the heat rushing to her face. It has been happening to her a little bit too frequently for her liking. Even the thought of being close to Baekhyun causes her face to flare up which was a pretty stupid thing; she was not a high school girl with a big crush.

He is my damned husband!

“Hurry up! It’s really itching!” Baekhyun being the impatient person urged her to do the task fast and smirked to himself discretely when he saw her blushing. It was his new favorite hobby—to make Haejin blush. It was so much fun to see the latter getting all flushed and flustered over the small skin contacts they have.

“I am doing it.” His wife mumbled under her breath and gently scratched at his . She was hesitant in her act, after all, it wasn’t daily that she got to touch her husband’s bare skin without being judged, she could stare at his broad shoulders, sharp shoulder blades and smooth back without any fear of being caught.

You won’t get judged by anyone at all.

He .Is. Your. ing. Husband.

Even her mind was against her better judgments. She won’t lie. There were many things that changed after the incident and the most prominent of them was her feelings for Baekhyun. She can’t even claim to hate him falsely, even if she wants to because she knows that it’s not the case anymore and since there is no logical reason to stop her hormone crazed mind; she has been having difficulty in keeping her wild thoughts to herself. The task which became more difficult because Baekhyun likes to strut around shirtless more often than not; of course not because of his injury.

“Princess.” Haejin glared at Baekhyun when the latter called her again.

“I have a name.” She deadpanned and pulled her hands away from him, trying her best to act like she wasn’t thinking about running her hands down his back a second ago.

“I like to call you Princess.” He replied with a mischievous smirk which made Haejin scoff. Baekhyun chuckled under his breath and took hold of her hand before she can walk away. There was a gentle look in his eyes, filled with so much appreciation, adoration even; Haejin noticed (it would explain, why she was blushing again), but sadly Baekhyun wasn’t aware of it himself.

To be honest, he didn’t want to call Haejin by her name. Somehow, it made things intimate between them; not in a ual way, but more on the level of relationship. To him, it was some kind of limit that he was always supposed to remember. It reminded him to stay within his boundaries, even though he trudged on the edge of them but he still knew how to not cross them; at least not intentionally. He always claimed to keep his distance from his wife because he wanted to avoid the further responsibilities, but the truth was that he respected Haejin. He knew that she was not ready to take their relationship to an intimate level, he knew that she wanted some time to adjust especially after the circumstances their marriage took place in and after all the things that he had done even though his intentions were not bad; he thinks that she at least deserved that. She deserves to get her wishes respected. Baekhyun might be a bad person, but he didn’t have the heart to disrespect the very girl he forced into marriage with himself. Besides that, Haejin made a sacrifice for her Kingdom’s well-being just like he did for his’ which earned her more respect from him.

“Let go. I promised Kai that I will make Chicken soup for him.” Haejin didn’t know where to look; she certainly can’t keep up with her husband’s intense gaze.

Ughhh! Can’t I send away my brothers?

“But my back is still itching.”

“I just scratched it.”

“You scratched at the wrong place.”

“Ugh…”

“Baekhyun!”

“Hmm…”

“Baekhyun…get up.” Haejin hissed under her breath and shook her husband while glancing at their new visitor nervously; who was standing by the entrance of their room.

“Go away. I still have some time to sleep.” The eldest groggy, sleep laced voice filled the otherwise silent room, as he covered his face with a pillow.

“Yah! Get up.” Haejin snapped and shook him once again; this time with more vigor.

“What?” Baekhyun finally relented and removed the pillow from his face with a snap. He glared at his wife with swollen eyes and was about to give her a piece of his mind when he saw Haejin jerking her head in the direction of the room’s door. He grumbled under his breath with a scowl and lifted his body off the bed in a sitting position; however, he halted in his act when he saw his mother standing by his room’s door. The crown Prince looked at his mother a little bit bewildered; who was staring at the couch which must have been occupied by Haejin when she came.

Of course!

“M-Mom.”

I have to ing stutter.

Baekhyun may not like to admit it, but his mom was the only person in this whole world who could scare him a little bit. By the way, she was looking at the bed he was sleeping in disdain and then at the couch, he knew that he was in for a lecture. His mom wasn’t exactly a person who lived in old times, but she still liked to follow the morals. She always hated the way Baekhyun lived and she never kept it a secret from him. He knew that she didn’t like the little sleeping arrangement they have.

“You didn’t lock the door at night?” He whispered to his wife and discretely glared at her.

“I did!”

“Then what is my mom doing in our room at the crack of the dawn?”

“How would I know?” Haejin defended herself and turned towards her mother-in-law with Baekhyun when she cleared .

“You two don’t sleep on the same bed?”

And of course, my mom has to be one of those really blunt people.

“We do!” Haejin and Baekhyun exclaimed at the same time and turned to face each other with a nervous expression.

“Really? I can’t see it.”

“You see. Haejin likes to move in her sleep a lot. She was afraid that my wound will get worse so she decided to sleep on the couch for now.” Baekhyun explained and grimaced at himself. It sounded so lame, even to his, own ears.

“You are completely healed. It’s been a week now.” His mother deadpanned which made Haejin face palm at him; literally.

“Really? Can’t you be a little bit smarter?” She commented under her breath in a sarcastic tone which made Baekhyun scowl.

“Shut up.”

“Whatever.” Haejin waved him off and stepped away from the bed with a crooked smile.

“I will shower in the guestroom so you guys can have some time alone.” She claimed with a sweet smile before walking towards the closet and pulling her clothes out. Haejin threw her agitated husband a triumphant smirk and escaped out of the room.

…………….

“You really think I won’t know that you are lying?” His mother started after a long moment of silence.

“Mom-”

“I won’t tell you it’s wrong because I know that you are aware of it already.” His mother started and walked closer towards the bed, he was sitting on. Baekhyun didn’t speak a word. He knew that there was no use of it. His mother was right and she would not let him find his way out of this mess with his words.

“Baekhyun. I trust you. I really do. I know that marrying Haejin was not your impulsive decision. You took two months to think of all the possibilities and then you decided to tie the knot with her, but I am afraid the fears that I expressed before your marriage weren’t untrue either.” The Queen could see her son balling his hands into fists and reached out a hand to release the tension from his knuckles.

“You and Haejin are almost married for two months now. I think you guys should at least share a bed.” He continued when another moment of silence stretched between them.

“Mom!” Baekhyun snapped and got up from his bed. He didn’t even care if his mother gets angry with him at that moment.

“We both just need some time. Please. You guys will get everything you want when the right time comes so…” He continued and stared at his mother with a tired expression. He was not lying. What Haejin and he needed was time. He wouldn’t have dared think that things would getter between them before, but now seeing the new pleasant change, he was sure that they both could come around each other. Now when the factor of hate is eliminated from their marriage, they just needed to get comfortable with the idea of being married that’s all. Of course, things won’t change overnight, both of them still can’t stand each other’s gut and it was obvious, they both still bickered and fought all the time. The only thing different this time was that they both knew that the other person didn’t hate them.

“I know that you are only trying to help me, you are always there with me, but I…but I… don’t think I can appreciate you meddling in my married life.” He pushed back his black locks with his hand while releasing a sigh and turned his head slightly to gaze at his mother. He expected her to scold him, be angry with him, reprimand him, but what he didn’t expect her to do after what he said was a smile. Baekhyun watched his mother with apologetic gaze when she started walking in his direction and placed a soothing hand on his cheek with an adoring expression.

“I never helped you, though.” She whispered and softly trailed her hand up to push back his locks, while gently rubbing at his cheek with her thumb. Moments like these reminded Baekhyun, why he loved his mother so dearly. There was something about her touch, her presence and her words that always put his heart at ease. Now that he was experiencing it again; he can’t help, but notice that he haven’t had a moment like this with his mother in a long while.

“You did everything yourself. It was always you. I was the mere person who stood by the sidelines and cheered for my son.” She continued with the same fond smile and patted his head.

“And just like always, I will be there standing on the sidelines cheering for you.” Baekhyun smiled at his mother when he heard that. It was not his usual smug or cocky smile; it was a genuine one. It was the type of smile where his lips formed the rare rectangular shape and his eyes turn into small crescents.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“No need. If you want to take some time then be my guest, but please be a little bit less obvious about it. You know what could have happened if one of the castle maids had walked into the room instead of me.”

“I will try to work something out.”

“Great—”

“Woah! I must have done a really good deed in my past life to see Hyung smile like that.” It was Chen who was standing at the room’s door with a small smile dancing on his lips. Baekhyun rolled his eyes at his brother but didn’t stop smiling. It felt good to smile like that once in a while. His gaze shifted from Chen towards his wife; who was staring at him with wide eyes. He raised a questioning brow at her but just shook his head in the end.

“What do you want Chen?”

“Nothing much. I was just accompanying Haejin to the room.” Chen replied the eldest with a shrug of his shoulders and went forward to wrap his arms around his mother.

“Hey, beautiful.” He greeted with a wink which made his mother and Haejin laugh. Baekhyun looked at the people in his room and let out a sigh of contentment.

“I will take a shower, now.” He informed his mother and bent down to place a small peck on her cheek before walking towards his closet.

“We will wait for you in the dining hall.”

……………

Baekhyun was standing in front of the mirror, fixing his piercings when his eyes briefly swept over the look of his room. His room was so different from how it used to be; which shocked him. Placing down his blazer on the edge of the table, he turned around to take a better look around his room. His once dark room was filled with colors. Not the extremely girly ones, but it was there. The black walls that used to be empty were adorned with elegant pictures. There were small decorations pieces of various colors arranged in the room, along with the flower vases. Surprisingly, the whole change didn’t annoy him like he thought it would; it was totally contrary to it. The change was pleasant and he for the first time felt like there were colors in his life too. What surprised him, even more, was the fact that he didn’t notice all these changes happening.

I have been around all the time.

Letting a smile grace his lips, he sighed and looked at his own reflection in the mirror. It didn’t look like he was shot three weeks ago; it didn’t look like he was shot at all. He was as healthy as he could be, but the awareness that he still can’t use his powers made him feel a little bit irritated. They were coming back to him slowly, but it was not to the point where they would benefit him in a fight. Baekhyun and Haejin have gathered with the officials of the Moonlight and Exo to carry out the exchange of power in secrecy. It was not as much of a secret since the whole public knew that the exchange was going to take place. The crown Prince- The new King, was glad that they understood the danger of holding a big welcoming ceremony like last time; it was obvious that they would be attacked again. It was so surreal. Baekhyun can’t believe that he wasn’t a crown Prince anymore. He can’t believe that he was a King to two big Kingdoms.

This is what I was trained for my whole life.

………

“You have some time?” Baekhyun lifted his gaze up and fixed his stare on Haejin through the mirror. She was standing just behind him; it was a wonder that why he never saw or sensed her coming in.

“Sure. Do you need something?”

“N-No. I just wanted to…ask.” Her hesitant tone made Baekhyun frown.

“Ask what?”

“Who were those people at the ceremony?” Haejin inquired while fidgeting on her place and looked at Baekhyun with weary eyes. She cowered down a little when she saw a seething glare from her husband directed at her.

What else was I expecting?

“Why do you want to know?” The King asked curtly and turned back towards his reflection; while resuming adjusting his clothes and appearance.

“Can’t I know?”

“It’s none of your business,” Baekhyun replied with a shrug and turned around to face his wife when he was done getting ready. He seemed really casual with his intonation, but Haejin could clearly see the way his eyes steeled.

“I heard Kyungsoo and Luhan saying that those people were after me. I-I have a right to know, who they were at the very least. It is my business.”

“They were after you, now they are not. So, it was your business, now it’s not.” Haejin stared at Baekhyun incredulously and took a step in his direction.

“But-”

“Is that all you wanted to talk about?” Her husband didn’t even bother to wait for her answer; the fact that he was already walking towards the door of the room proved it. She let out a dejected sigh and stared at the ceiling of the room when Baekhyun finally stepped out of the room.

Agares…

It was the name that Kyungsoo repeated again and again. Haejin was determined to find what this name has to do with that attack on the ceremony. Moreover, she had a strong feeling that this name was one of the main causes of their wedding that Baekhyun or any other of her brother-in-law would never reveal to her about.

Baekhyun had been worried, extremely so when he noticed Haejin’s peaking curiosity in the matter. She was not supposed to get involved in it. Not when she doesn’t know how dangerous it is. He had returned home early with the others that day and had pointedly avoided going to his room where he knew Haejin was going to corner him again. The raw curiosity was visible in her eyes when she questioned him about the foundation earlier. Something told him that she knew more and it scared him; which was stupid because he was never the type of person who would get scared like that. He also had tried his best to stay away from Haejin at all cost that is why it was no wonder, why he was at the indoor swimming pool of the palace alone. The warm water caressed his back and soothed his tired muscles which made him relaxed automatically. He was sure that Haejin can’t find him there. He even doubts that she knows about the indoor pool. The eldest relaxed his body completely and allowed it to float on the surface of the chlorinated water. Passing his hand through his wet bangs lazily, he stared down at his torso and traced the place where he was shot. It still hurt him some time, but other than that he wasn’t aware of its existence.

“You will get sick if you stay in the water for so long.” Baekhyun turned his head towards the voice immediately to gaze at his wife; who have surprisingly found him and the pool room. He turned his head back straight and stared at the glass roof of the room. He didn’t bother answering her and closed his eyes again.

“Yah! I want to talk.” Haejin demanded with an offended look when Baekhyun ignored her presence like that. She let out an irritated huff when her husband continued to ignore her and stomped her feet in annoyance.

“Are you seriously going to ignore me like that?” Still, there was no answer, her husband didn’t even budge.

“Byun Baekhyun!” Haejin snapped and crossed her arms over her chest. She growled under her breath when the latter continued to ignore her and narrowed her eyes at him. She took off the jacket that she was wearing and looked down at the pool ne